Figure 1: Mean Happiness in U.S., 1980 - 2006

Figure 2: Mean Life Satisfaction Relative to National GDP Per Capita

Figures:  
• Figure 1: Mean Happiness in U.S., 1980 - 2006  – 
• Figure 2: Mean Life Satisfaction Relative to National GDP Per Capita

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Average level of happiness. Happiness, technically referred to as subjective well-being, was measured by asking people on a point scale about how much they enjoy their lives or how satisfied they are with their lives.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

Happiness researchers distinguish between two "components" of happiness: emotional happiness (how much we enjoy life) and cognitive happiness (how content we are or our perceived realization of wants.)   The same person might answer questions touching on the two different aspects with different scores.  For example, you might feel that you are pretty satisfied with what you have in life but not always able to enjoy what you have to the fullest. 

Figure 1, the Mean Happiness graph, shows the trend in happiness levels for the years 1980 to 2006.  The data for this graph is a synthesis of survey results which ask both how happy people are (e.g., “In general, how happy would you say you are?”) and how satisfied they are (e.g., “How satisfied are you with the life you lead?”).  The data on the U.S. from 1946 to 1980 shows a downward trend in happiness, while the series from 1980 to 2006 shows a rising trend.  Based on the same source data, the U.S. is 17th in the ranking of 95 countries by their average happiness from 1995 to 2005.  The scores went from a low of Tanzania (3.2) to a high of 8.2 (Denmark) on a scale of 0 to 10.  The US scored 7.4. (Data not shown)

This ranking is consistent with research by the Gallop organization.  Although the U.S. is the second most wealthy county in terms of GDP per capita, its citizens are not among the most satisfied.  Figure 2 compares Mean Life Satisfaction for different countries.  The survey asked respondents to rate their lives on a scale from 0 ("the worst possible life") to 10 ("the best possible life").  The principal researcher, Angus Deaton from Princeton, observes that "life satisfaction" and "happiness" are not synonyms.  As interpreted by Dr. Deaton, Figure 2 shows: 

In the graph, each circle is a country, with diameter proportional to population. The horizontal axis is national per-capita GDP in 2003 (the nearest year for which there is complete data) measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars at 2000 prices, while the vertical axis is a country's average life-satisfaction rating. Most of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa are on the bottom left, India and China are the two large circles near the left, the western European countries appear near the upper right, and the United States is the large country on the top right. 

As the graph indicates, life satisfaction is higher in countries with higher GDP per head. The slope is steepest among the poorest countries, where income gains are associated with the largest increases in life satisfaction, but it remains positive and substantial even among the rich countries. 

Data Source and Limitations

Data for this indicator was compiled by Sustainable Seattle from the research cited below. 

Primary data for Figure 1, Mean Happiness in U.S., 1980 – 2006 comes from the World Database of Happiness (Veenhoven, Ruut. World Database of Happiness, Distributional Findings in Nations, Erasmus University Rotterdam.  Available at: www.worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl ). Additional information on data selection, abstraction and classification can be found at the World Database website.  The graph was produced by the World Values Survey.   For additional graphs, go to http://margaux.grandvinum.se/SebTest/wvs/articles/folder_published/article_base_106. 

Figure 2, Mean Life Satisfaction Relative to National GDP per Capita, is based on data from the Gallup World Poll (www.gallup.com/consulting/worldpoll/24046/qbout.aspx). 

 

 

 

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